A Heart Divided
by labyrinthgal16
Summary: Elena Gilbert is a small town girl from Mystic Falls. Her heart belongs to Stefan Salvatore, a brooding vampire with a big secret. Elena also has a secret admirer in dark and mysterious Damon Salvatore, the brother of Stefan and best friend of Elena. When Stefan's secret is out in the open, will Elena leave? Will Damon finally tell Elena his feelings toward her?
1. Prologue

Elena stood in absolute shock and horror.

"Stefan."

"Elena, I didn't want you to find out this way." Stefan was cold and emotionless. Almost like he didn't care.

"How did you want me to find out, Stefan?!" Elena was almost screaming at this point. Tears rolling from her eyes, burning her pale skin. "There isn't anything good about this, no matter how you say it! After everything, how could you do this to me?! How... how long has this been going on?"

"How... how long?"

"How long, Stefan?! You at least owe me that much truth!"

"For about a year now."

Elena couldn't move. She just stood there, numb. "How could you Stefan?" she whispered.

"I don't know how to explain myself," he said.

"You know what? Don't bother coming up with an excuse, because it's not even worth my time. You aren't worth my time anymore..." And with that, she walked out the door.


	2. Dear Diary

_Dear Diary,_

_Today is the one year anniversary of my parents' death. I don't know how I will be able to handle this. It's been a year, but I feel like it was just yesterday that they died in the car accident. It has been hard to cope with the change of them not being around anymore. But thank goodness for good friends. Especially Stefan and Damon. They have seemed to pull me out of my worst time. Stefan is probably the best thing that has ever happened to me, and Damon is the best friend a girl could ask for. I am really depending on both of them today to get me seemed to have come into my life at the best time, just a few months before my parents died. It's still weird though, knowing their secret. Knowing that they are vampires. I think I have finally gotten used to the idea though. I mean, weirder things have happened, right?_

Elena Gilbert stared at the words for a minute, then shut her diary. With a sigh, she stood up and went to the mirror. Her dark brown eyes just stared at the girl in the mirror. She fought back the tears and finished getting ready for school.

Her cell phone rang loudly on her bedside table, startling herself. She walked around to the table and looked in the screen.

The screen read Damon.

Quickly, she answered the phone.

"Good morning," Elena said as she answered.

"Good morning, beautiful," Damon replied. "Are you ready? I'm about five minutes away from your house."

She laughed "I will be by the time you get here."

"Alright. Is Jeremy needing a ride too?" Damon asked.

"No, he already left to go. Bonnie came and picked him up. She asked me if I wanted a ride, and I told her you were coming to get me."

"Oh, alright then. I am pulling into your driveway right now.

"Alright. I'll be down in a few." Elena hung up and finished getting ready.

* * *

Pulling his pants on and buttoning his shirt up, Stefan looked at the clock. It read 8:45.

"Damn," he said. "I'm already late for school..."

"Then don't go," said a voice behind him. He felt an arm slip around his waist from behind. Slowly, he turned around to face a beautiful, blonde woman. A vampire, like himself.

"You know I would love to stay longer, Rebekah," he said, kissing her forhead. "But I really need to go."

"But why?" she asked. "Stefan, how much schooling have we been through in all of our years of immortality? Why do you need more? You could just stay with me, you know."

He chuckled. "I know, but I told Damon I would be there soon. He thinks I am on my way there now. He went to pick up Elena."

Rebekah scoffed. "Oh, that little twit. I don't know why you even bother with her, when you know I am all you need."

"It's complicated," Stefan answered.

She let out a laugh. "That's what they all say, but look where you keep coming back to." She winked and walked away. "Make sure you say hi to Elena for me!"

Stefan watched her walk out the door, and continued to get ready for school.


	3. Flashback

Damon sat in the car as he waited for Elena.

Elena, the girl he was in love with, but couldn't express his feelings to her.

_Stop it, Damon! You can't be in love with her. She isn't even yours to love._

But he couldn't help it. It was hard enough always being around her when Stefan was away. All he could think about was taking her by the waist, pulling her close, and kissing her with all the passion and love he had to give. He looked in the rearview mirror and ran his fingers through his jet-black hair. His piercing blue eyes stared back at him as he thought.

_If only she knew... All of the secrets Stefan has been hiding. If only she knew the things he does. If only she knew about Rebekah._

He heard the front door of the house open, and Elena stepped out. He was sure that if his heart was still beating, it would have stopped right then and there like it always should when she is near.

She hopped in the car and gave Damon a long hug. Her embrace made him feel warm and comforted.

Damon pulled the car out of the driveway and began heading toward the school. "How are you doing today?" he asked.

"I'm alright, considering. Where is Stefan?"

_Not even two minutes and his name is already in the conversation_. "He said he would meet us at school. There were a couple of things he had to take care of."

"He does that often, and he tends to be very secretive about it." That bothered Elena very much. Stefan had his secrets, and Elena just had to trust him. "I'm not too worried about it. Whatever it is, he probably has good reasons to be secretive. Protecting me, I guess."

_More or less_. Damon couldn't tell her the real reason Stefan was not there. The pain it would cause Elena would be unbearable to both Elena and Damon. He couldn't see her hurt. He couldn't see her cry. It would only break his heart.

"So have you picked out your dress for the Founder's Day pageant?" Damon quickly changed the subject.

"No, not yet." Elena shrugged her shoulders. "I haven't really had the time to go, and Stefan has been so busy. I've just been waiting on him to help me pick one out."

"I could go with you," Damon interrupted. "I mean, I know I'm not Stefan, but my opinion could count for something. I have a good sense of style too." He nudged his elbow at Elena's arm and smiled.

She smiled and looked at Damon. "Well, I mean... Stefan is always busy, and I really should go and pick one out soon. Okay. Thanks, Damon. You are such a wonderful friend."

_Friend_. _I hate that word_, Damon thought.

He smiled and looked at Elena. "You're welcome, beautiful."

They rode up to the school about 9:00, about 30 minutes late to class. Damon pulled into a parking spot right next to Stefan's motorcycle. Stefan stood next to it, waiting for the car to turn off. He walked around to Elena's door and opened it for her. She stepped out and hugged him tightly.

"Elena," Stefan said, taking her into his arms.

Damon stepped out of the car and watched as they hugged in the parking lot. He let out a sigh.

"Come on, you lovebirds," he interrupted. "We are already late enough to class."

Elena let go and giggled. "Damon is right. We need to go."

Stefan looked at Damon, then Elena. "You go on. We will catch up." He took her face into his hands and gently kissed her. She walked past Damon and smiled.

As soon as Elena was out of sight, Damon turned to Stefan.

"How's Rebekah," he asked Stefan.

"Don't start."

"What? Is it getting exhausting juggling two girls at once, brother? Tell me, when do you plan on telling Elena that you have been running off to see your little blonde bimbo friend?"

Stefan began to get angry. "This is none of your business. And you swore you wouldn't utter a word to her. I am trusting you to keep that promise."

Damon remembered the promise he made when he found out about Stefan and Rebekah. It was a couple of weeks after Elena's parents died.

"_Are you crazy, brother? Rebekah? An original?!" Damon exclaimed. "What the hell are you thinking?! Elena's parents just died not two weeks ago. What kind of heartless bullshit are you trying to pull?!"_

"_Damon, this is none of your business. Elena is not to know about this. Besides, I'm not going to see Rebekah again. I need you to swear to me you will not tell her about this."_

_Damon was angry. His breathing was heavy, and his body was tense. He did everything in his power not to rip out Stefan's heart right then and there. He did it for Elena. Because he knew if he had, she would have never forgiven him._

_He did it because he was his only brother._

"_Stefan, I..."_

"_Damon, swear to me."_

_Damon paused. All he could think about was Elena. Her mind was fragile and weak right now. He knew she wouldn't be able to handle this._

"_I swear."_

He made a promise, and he was a man of his word.

"I swore to you that day that I wouldn't tell Elena, but you need to come clean. She will find out, Stefan. Somehow, she will find out. And the only person you will be hurting is her."

Stefan looked at Damon. "She won't find out."

And with that, Stefan turned and walked away.


	4. Invitation

"I don't know. I mean... Stefan has been acting so weird lately." Elena sat at the local pub and grill with her two best friends Caroline and Bonnie. "He has been running off, not answering my calls or texts till way late in the night or early in the morning, and when I ask what he has been up to, he just changes the subject or says he was out with Damon."

Caroline interrupted. "Have you thought that maybe, just maybe, he might be seeing someone else? I mean, he fits the description of a lying, cheating man. Sneaking around, lying to your face about where he has been, and ignoring your calls and texts."

Bonnie nodded. "Caroline might be right, Elena..."

"I don't think he would cheat on me," Elena said, letting out a chuckle. "Besides, if he would, I would trust Damon to tell me."

"I don't know, Elena," Bonnie replied. "They are brothers, and even then Damon may not know. If Stefan is sneaking around you, what makes you think he isn't sneaking around him, too?"

Elena thought about it for a second, took a sip of her Coca-Cola, and just shook her head. She didn't want to think about the possibility of Stefan cheating on her. In fact, she was almost positive he wasn't cheating on her. She just laughed it off and cleared it from her mind.

"Anyways," Elena changed the subject. "I am going shopping sometime this weekend with Damon for my pageant dress. Do you girls want to come?"

"Oh!" Caroline interjected. "I haven't picked mine out yet! I'll come!"

The girls continued on with their conversation.

* * *

On the other side of the pub, Damon sat alone, drinking a beer.

"Need some company?" a familiar voice asked from behind. Damon knew this voice from anywhere. He smiled and turned around.

"Of course, Elena. Please sit." Damon gestured at the seat next to him, and Elena sat.

"I thought you were hanging out with Caroline and Bonnie?" he asked, looking for the two.

"They left. Bonnie went to go see her Grams, and Caroline has a new love interest, so she is off meeting him."

"I see, and no Stefan tonight?" Damon looked back down to his empty beer bottle.

"He said he had something important that came up, and that he couldn't see me tonight. Do you know what came up?" Elena looked into Damon's eyes, hoping for an answer.

He hesitated for a second, and sighed. "I have absolutely no idea. He doesn't tell me things anymore." Lying to Elena was hard, but seeing her sad was even harder for Damon. He wasn't sure what to do or what to say.

"Hey, how about this. Come by the house tonight and we can just sit and watch some movies. That way, if Stefan comes home from whatever he had to do, you can see him and ask him yourself."

Elena smiled a little. "Yeah sure. That sounds like it would be fun. I'll be there at 6ish?"

"It's a date." Damon stopped. "I mean, not a date, but... you know what I mean."

Elena laughed. "I know what you meant." She stood up from the chair and hugged Damon. "I'll see you then!"

Damon watched as she walked out of the pub. _Yeah, _Damon thought. _See you then._


End file.
